


Seven Ways to Sunday

by Ariamaki



Category: Doki Doki Literature Club! (Visual Novel)
Genre: Bloodplay, Comfort, F/F, F/M, Implied/Referenced Abuse, Knifeplay, Masturbation, Multi, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Polyamory, References to Depression, Voyeurism
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-01
Updated: 2018-04-25
Packaged: 2019-03-25 17:06:44
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 19,921
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13839231
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ariamaki/pseuds/Ariamaki
Summary: Following a brisk but exciting week for the Literature Club and their newest member, Sunday rolls around... But something is different, and events don't go exactly as certain people would expect. One small difference makes all the others fall into place. Things cascade out from that one point of change before rippling back like a drop into a puddle. From here, it's all going to go differently.After all: This is literature, not a game.





	1. Overwhelmed

**Author's Note:**

> If you have strong feelings on the subject, feel free to sub in the protagonist / MC-kun name of your choice, I went with the personality-appropriate 'Minato', with a yet-undecided C* family name so that he can still be MC-kun as a pet name / for short.
> 
> \- - - - - - - -

If this were a scene from one of his anime, the sound of cicadas would resonate throughout Sayori's room after her shocking confession. As it is, they were partway into November and there was nothing but silence and his closest friend's barely-there smile.

On the one hand, he couldn't believe what he had just been told. Sayori wasn't just _depressed_ , but had been struggling with her depression for as long as he knew her? It flew in the face of every single thing he knew about Sayori. But when he stepped back in his head... On the _other_ hand, it made so many things click into place. Gaining and losing interests. Abandoned hobbies. Minimal friend groups. Her self-admitted slow wake-up and unkempt appearance. It was all _part_ of the things he knew about Sayori, just in a new context. He'd seen so many of the signs, but so slowly and over such a long period that it had all vanished into the whirlwind that was his closest friend.

He had to do _something_ for her, but she was adamant that he not cancel today's plans. He had already fished his phone out to try and contact Yuri, but Sayori grabbed his wrist before it could clear his pocket.

"Are you _sure_ you don't want to come with? It could be... Maybe not fun, but relaxing. I know you and Yuri are really close in the Club, right?"

Sayori shook her head, but not with the same vigor as before. If he didn't know any better ( _and at this point he was going to second-guess everything he didn't **absolutely** know_ ) he'd say she was trying to convince herself just as much as him.

"I just don't think I'd be in a good place for that right now, Minato. Especially since Yuri-"

They both froze as a few small knocks came at Sayori's door. Not the door to her room, but the door to the _house_. Her eyes darted from him to her computer ( _for some reason_ ) and back.

"I... I should get that."

"I can-"

"Nope! _My_ door!"

There was a little flash of the familiar old Sayori in that, her expression shifting into a cute pout as she stepped back and made her way out of her room. His hand was free, and he could probably text Yuri before Sayori could even get to her front door... But he didn't. This would take a bit more thought on his part, and acting rashly could be hurtful. Then again it felt like sometimes the right thing to do in this situation wasn't always the _least painful_ , but the most safe. Disinfecting wounds hurt, but it saved you pain in the long run... Sayori might appreciate that metaphor: It had the sort of metaphorical ring that Yuri-

"Yuri!?"

...Did he say that bit out loud? No, he wasn't _that_ bad about mixing up his internal and external- His train of thought was interrupted again, this time as footsteps began making their way back towards the room... Two pairs: One heavier than Sayori's and less familiar with the surroundings. When the door opened again it was under Yuri's hand: She was _here_ somehow, and looking stunning in a cream turtleneck sweater and a set of sheer black leggings.

"H-hello. I apologize for intruding on your conversation, but I, ah... Oh this is so embarrassing. I'm sorry Sayori, and Minato, I-"

Sayori swatted her club-member on the back of the head.

"No apologizing, silly! _We_ were the ones wasting _your_ time, right Minato?"

"I- Maybe? I'm not a hundred percent sure what's happening to be honest."

"Yuri was just telling me that she showed up early to your house and got a little nervous-"

Yuri fidgeted with the nearest bit of her own hair, looking aside.

"More than a little, honestly..."

"-OK a lottle nervous, when you weren't at home."

He looked between the two of them once or twice and then down to his phone.

"Did I miss a text... or a call? I could swear this wasn't on silent."

Yuri blinked once, twice, and then slowly buried her face in both hands with a faint whine.

" _Phones_. Oh sweet mercy, cellular phones exist. I am so..."

His friend giggled at that and pulled Yuri into a side-hug, trying to keep her from retreating into her shell again. It was clearly not as passionate as Sayori's usual glomps and snugs, but at the same time it clearly had her mood a _little_ more elevated, to have somebody else's problems to focus on. The things she had said earlier, about wanting all of them to be happy...

"Well! I guess that just makes it easier for the three of us to work on the decorations, huh?"

Her giggling stopped at that, and she looked between the two of them.

"T-three?"

"I don't see any reason why not, right Yuri? We're all here anyways, might as well stick together and make a thing out of it."

Sayori shot him a glare, but he did his best to shake it off with one of his patented sheepish grins. He'd go for the full 'hand on the back of the head' apologetic gesture, but this didn't feel like _that_ drastic of a situation. _Sorry Sayori: Just think of it as a little bit of disinfectant_.

"But I've got to help Monika-"

"-which you said you're doing entirely online, right? You can handle that from your phone."

Yuri suddenly nodded and grabbed Sayori's hand, reaching out for his own on the other side. It was a bit surprising, but he took the opportunity and was a little shocked how _warm_ it was.

"I would be _extremely_ happy to have you help us, Sayori. If I were to develop the atmospherics entirely myself, even with Minato as a moderating influence, I fear it may result in... a grimmer aesthetic than we would like."

It seemed like she wanted to argue again, but her words caught in her throat when it became clear she couldn't back out without at least _somewhat_ explaining to Yuri the things she had told him. They had backed her into a corner, albeit without really trying.

" _Geez_ , I just can't win with you two, can I? Alright, alright: Let's... go to Minato's house."

~ ~ ~ ~ 

The first few hours of their work went _splendidly_. Sayori's presence added a layer of efficiency and insight that neither of them had come into this expecting, and so they got through things much more quickly... Or would have, but they chose instead to keep a relaxed pace. The Vice President was significantly more subdued than usual, while their newest recruit seemed to be continually distracted... Not that Yuri could blame him. She had dressed extra-conservatively today ( _although she had simultaneously picked an outfit she felt was flattering to her figure, just in case_ ) while Sayori was on a more minimalist route with her tiny shorts and slightly-baggy shirt. It would be a lie to say her own eyes weren't drawn over on more than one occasion... And between that and seeing Minato outside of his uniform for the first time _period_ , the heat had been prickling its way up her back and down her arms for quite some time now.

"Alright, I'll go move these banners over to the kitchen so they have space to dry while we work on the other things. That was a _really_ smart move to combine the door curtain and day-to-night banners, Sayori."

"Aw, it wasn't _that_ big of a deal-"

Yuri cut her off with a gentle smile, feeling the rush of blood under her cheeks. She was being so _daring_ today, and it felt wonderful.

"No, he's right Sayori: Your adjustment will allow us to make an even richer and more layered experience for the guests to our Club. I appreciate it quite a lot."

Her friend nodded jerkily at that, as if trying to bite back some kind of reaction... She knew the expression fairly well given how often she made it herself. Repression came easily the more you practiced it, although there _were_ limits. And frankly she was reaching hers, especially having been in _two_ unfamiliar bedrooms today.

"Meanwhile I will... take a short trip to the restroom."

Minato briefly pauses at the door.

"No problem spending a bit of time alone in my room, right Sayori? I'd hate for anything like _last time_ to happen."

"Hey! Just because you kee-"

The mixture of indignation and flaring blush on her cheeks was unbearably cute, and Yuri had to hurry away before she heard the entire reply: It was already hard enough keeping herself in check without that level of cuteness.

She made it to Minato's restroom in peace, and sighed. Neither of them had noticed the time her hand had dipped _just_ a bit deeper into the darkness of her backpack, or the sleek and deadly thing that had come out afterwards. Yuri always made it a habit to bring two knives when she was working on any kind of crafts project, since using one on her art and another on herself could lead to cross-contamination. Paint did not go in the bloodstream, ever, and blood did not go onto the painting unless you were a particularly avant-garde _artiste_.

Once safely inside and the door locked behind her, she brought out the blade. It was her second-favorite folding pocket knife, and certainly the nicest mass-produced piece in her collection. She preferred custom works and older pieces, but there was something about this one... It had a measured balance of elegance, fluidity, convenience, and inherent danger. It helped that it was a military-grade model, although the serrations saw no use for her 'private time'.

It was the work of but a minute to roll up her sleeve, lean her hips back against the sink, and _sliiide_ the blade along the Langer paths in the curvature of her arm. The prickling heat under her flesh peaked and then receded as the blood began to well, while a _different_ heat doubled and tripled between her thighs. She let out a shaky breath before bringing the wound up, taking her tongue to it with one long lap. The purity of fresh water was normally her preference, but right now she needed more extreme measures to keep from throwing herself at her clubmates. The copper tang flooded her mouth and she let out a tiny, quiet moan. There would be no harm in taking a _little_ longer, rocking her hips back against the sink and slowly collecting her wits.

When she got back to the bedroom, Minato was still in the kitchen while Sayori sat on the bed, fidgeting with her hands slightly. Her phone was nowhere in sight, so perhaps she had already contacted Monika and simply not received a reply? Her closest female friend nervously waved at her, and she waved back, a bit confused by the expression on Sayori's face... Until she realized she was still holding the closed knife, clasped in that hand. Her blood ran as ice and she nearly dropped the offending tool, staggering backwards a step. Before she could completely collapse into herself, Sayori was already up off of the bed and wrapping her arms around her shoulders.

"Hey, no, don't- Look, I totally get it. It's... Here, look."

It took a bit of cajoling for Sayori to draw her attention back, but when she finally looked, the other girl was turning one arm upwards. Her skin was so smooth, a gorgeous cream-verging-on-peach, with the lingering wisps of a long-lost tan... Except for one tiny flaw. She had never noticed before, had never seen it pointed out, but there was a single thin scar on Sayori's arm. The mere sight of the scar tissue wasn't what caused the knotted dread in her gut: It was the _placement_ and the _orientation_ and the _size_ of it. This was a cut that had been made with _intention_ behind it, a blade turned inwards for vicious purposes, not for pleasure or release.

Sayori could have expected all sorts of reactions from this, but having her embrace flipped around probably wasn't one of them. Yuri held her at arm's length for a moment before pulling her even closer, as if trying to surround her completely. As if she could shut out the world around this beautiful specimen, keep her safe in her arms instead of exposed to... whatever would have made her do that. She was already speaking, hadn't even bothered to control her mouth. It took a moment for her to even hear the words that she herself was saying.

"Don't. Please don't. You're safe, you're loved. I'm here for you. Please."

"I... Please don't. Yuri, I'm... Don't worry about me. It-"

" _No_. This and that are two different things. I'm-"

"...I'm interrupting, aren't I?"

Minato was at the door, and Yuri's heart was plummeting through her chest again. But the look on his face was unsurprised, and Sayori's expression was twisted into something even more unique, an unfamiliar kind of hurt that made her want to hug even tighter, hide her further away from any kind of pain. She couldn't envelop Sayori completely though, and a little tendril of despair flicked in the back of her mind... Until Minato stepped forward and joined the embrace, stepping behind Sayori to gently run his hands up and down her arms.

"She's not wrong. I told you earlier, right? And I guess you just told her about..."

Sayori didn't say anything, just trying to find words. For once she was the speechless one and it made Yuri feel strangely pleased to see it. She wasn't entirely sure what conversation Minato was assuming, but he was not incorrect: Even without words, showing her that kind of scar spoke volumes whole and entire.

"Minato, I..."

"Yuri, turn her around for me?"

She obliged immediately, pulling Sayori back against her chest so that they were both looking at him. The smaller girl felt incredibly warm and impossibly comfortable in her arms like this, and the look of unabashed caring on his face made Yuri smile while basking in the reflected glory.

"She's not wrong at all. Do you want to hear me say it too?"

It was clear that Sayori was torn, her attempt to shake her head restrained by Yuri's... 'presence'. She often cursed the shape of her flesh, but it was terribly convenient at moments like this. When she couldn't bring herself to nod, Minato stepped back and brought her chin up with his hand. They looked at each other eye to eye, and Yuri could clearly feel the moment that Sayori began to relax.

"Alright then: You're safe. You're loved. You can cry, or stay quiet, or lean on us, or whatever you need... And sometimes, like today, maybe we can do things for you that you need, but don't _want_. Because you weren't going to come over originally, but look now. We did our work _and_ we're here for you."

"It's just..."

It took a moment before the other girl started speaking again, and Yuri let one of her arms reach down and grab Sayori's hand in her own. That seemed to slow her even further, but when she _did_ speak, it was with conviction.

"It's just _hard_ , and _scary_. I keep thinking about how much of a burden I must be, and what a terrible friend I am, and how I could be putting so much more effort into making you happy-"

Yuri squeezed her palm out of reflex, trying to fight back the sick roiling in her guts. At the same time, Minato leaned in towards the two of them and kissed Sayori on the forehead. It was gentle and paternal in a way, but it still was thrilling to watch in a uniquely voyeuristic fashion.

"Having you be happy _is_ what makes me happy. I just don't... It's embarrassing to say that kind of thing sometimes, right Yuri?"

She nodded, and waited until some of the tension fell out of Sayori's shoulders. Taking a few slow steps backwards and tugging on the hand firmly grasped in her own, she led the two of them back towards the bed, where they sat one next to the other. Once they settled in Sayori was firmly between the two of them, each of her hands held by one of theirs. She was sniffling and shaking a little, and the sight made Yuri's heart ache and pound all at once.

"Sayori, would you please turn towards me?"

When she complied, Yuri put on her strongest smile. It didn't take much effort: Sayori always brought that sort of thing out of her. It would probably help, at least a little, if she made that more clear.

"I care deeply for you, Sayori. You're the anchor that keeps me in the Literature Club, and maybe in school at all. I've spent so long with my books that I could have sought early graduation, but I felt it would be a waste... And you're a large part of why. Which isn't even to mention that over this last week, I've realized how much better things are with Minato around. Not just for me, but for you as well: I..."

She was about to say several incredibly embarrassing things, but the time for worrying about that had flown out the window when Sayori saw her holding the knife. They were past the exigency of restraint, and it felt surprisingly good.

"I watch you a lot, Sayori. Ever since you pulled me into the Literature Club, I've always had an eye for you. And so I can say with a fair bit of confidence how much _stronger_ you've seemed since our newest member came, how much more beautiful."

Sayori looked down at her lap, eyes darting between the two pairs of clasped hands.

"Yuri, that's exagger-"

"No: I mean every word."

It was clear that Sayori didn't believe her, so a more drastic measure would be needed. She leaned forward, waiting until their faces were nearly touching. Sayori finally looked back up, and almost startled away from the closeness. Before she could, Yuri leaned in and kissed her as well: On the cheek, just barely touching the corner of her lips. It was brief and electric, as if she could feel a burst of current through the connection of their palms together, all three of them humming as a living breathing circuit.

"Yuri's not the only one who feels that way, you know: I've been with you for all these years, and I don't... We fall into these comfortable ruts where it's easier to joke and snark than to actually show or even think about affection. But we're laying everything on the table right now, yeah?"

The girl in the middle spoke through a heavy blush, turning away from Yuri reluctantly.

"...Y-yes."

"Alright then. I joined the Literature Club for a few reasons. I showed up for the cupcakes, I joined for the impossibly cute girls... and I stayed for you two. Spending the last week with you girls has been the most alive I've felt in _years_ , even when it was just silly things or quiet moments. It's one of those things that sticks when you try to say it out loud, but it only gets louder the more you think it: I love you. Not just a little, either."

He almost mirrored Yuri's own motion from before, leaning his head down until Sayori was looking at him. The subtle and yet world-defining difference was that when he kissed her, it was directly and with a hint of passion. She couldn't help but gasp and squirm, a completely unfamiliar spark rising in her heart and her mind at the sight. It was golden-warm and amber-glowing, something hot and bright and beautiful. When they pulled away she felt almost disappointed, until Sayori retreated face-first into her chest. That was... also extremely nice, in its way.

The things Sayori said next were muffled, but still very audible, from their new position.

" _I can't keep up with you two at all_."

"I will admit that I am barely keeping up with _myself_ right now. I suspect we're going to have a lot to talk about after this, all three of us."

"Why after?"

Both Sayori and Yuri had no response to that, just looking at him ( _or in Sayori's case, turning an ear his way from her burrowed position_ ). His grin was sheepish and a little bit roguish and it made her _melt_.

"I mean, we're here, the bulk of our work is done... I have nothing else going on. You, Yuri?"

"...I do have _one_ thing I need to get done, somewhat urgently."

She felt Sayori freeze under her, and saw the crestfallen expression start to break down Minato's gorgeous smile... So she took her chance and did what needed to be done, with all the urgency she had implied. She pressed Sayori even further into her chest and leaned across her to kiss him, catching them both off-guard with a direct press against his lips. It was rough and full and lingered for just a second... Her first, given gladly.

"There. _Now_ I have done everything I absolutely 'had' to do today."

"That's not fair!"

Sayori's sudden outburst from beneath her was... not entirely unexpected, but Yuri had let the flow of the moment capture her entirely, and had been ensnared to an extent that she could not have imagined prior. Except when she looked it wasn't anger or betrayal or sadness on her friend's face, but... Confusion?

"...It's not fair that Minato gets twice as many kisses."

"Ah: I apologize if I was unclear."

She pulled Sayori's chin up with her free hand, mimicking Minato's earlier motion. There was a moment of realization, a single spark in Sayori's eye, before Yuri leaned in and kissed her as well. It was sweeter in some ways and softer in others, but equally as good... If anything, the two brand-new experiences amplified each other in her head, resonating together and leaving her shivering.

"You are _loved_ , and I _love_ you. I love literature as well, but books alone would not have kept me in the Club through all the things we'd experienced before Minato came along. I said that you anchored me there and I meant it, Sayori."

Minato's smile had morphed into something enormous when she wasn't looking, and he reached across Sayori's lap with his free hand, offering it to Yuri. She took it, and while their positioning was awkward, it felt _right_.

"So I guess that makes us rivals in love?"

"Let's leave that trope to Natsuki's manga where it belongs, sir: You know full-well how I feel."

"I mean, we _are_ all saying it to Sayori, but we haven't really talked to each other during all of this."

"..."

She had no rebuttal for that, simply looking into his eyes. Yuri had a feeling that with time, she would learn to get lost in them just as easily as her books, or in Sayori's bright-blue gaze. In the past few minutes she had already spoken more than the entire rest of the weekend combined, so it was completely reasonable for her to let him take the lead here. It had nothing to do with nerves, or the urge to have Sayori pressed into her chest again.

Eventually he got the message, leaning forward and gently applying pressure to Sayori between them. The smallest of the trio pulled herself up a bit with the motion, sliding onto their laps. They were now pressed together, leg to leg, with the beautiful girl they had both been doting on held ever-closer between. Minato looked at her, and Yuri could feel the shifting change in the air.

"I love you, Yuri. I mean, it's fresh and fast, but... At the very least, I love how much you love Sayori. I'd have to be at least a little enamored with someone who cares so much for my best friend, right? But it isn't just that: You introduced me to new things, dragged me out of my rut, taught me how to express myself with words in a way I just... _couldn't_ , before."

"I love you, as well. It's clear that you've put a lot of time and thought into how to best keep our little Vice President well-cared-for, and I must say you've done a better job than I could. I might have to rely on your expertise in the future as well, and... I won't deny that you have taught me things as well. I don't know if I could have opened up to Sayori like this without you here."

Between them, Sayori was rocking back and forth slightly, trying to find an angle that held her against both of their chests at once. She eventually settled for returning her face to Yuri's chest and leaning her rear slightly further onto Minato... Which was an arrangement Yuri could most definitely appreciate, especially in the ever-active whirl of imagination in the back of her head. After a minute or two together like this, Sayori spoke up again.

"I... I'm a little overwhelmed. Can I lie down?"

They slid apart immediately, letting go of her hands only reluctantly. Sayori threw herself sideways onto the pillows and snuggled into them, frowning a bit.

"...Not as good as Yuri's."

The blush that flew across her face upon hearing that probably made a good shot at hitting the collarbone, not that anyone could see it... But she certainly _felt_ it. Minato chuckled, and she started to titter as well. It wasn't too long before Sayori's own giggling joined them, only stopping as she let out an enormous yawn.

"Imma nap now."

They both smiled at her, slightly strained, and Yuri could see her own lingering worries mirrored in his expression. That only lasted a moment, as Sayori had one last thing to say before drifting off to sleep.

"...love you two too."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this chapter is meant to stand up just fine on its own, but more is coming over time. Keep your eyes peeled, and watch the tags when a new chapter hits: And the rating, for that matter!


	2. Unaware

Sayori had a sure-fire morning routine, one that she had arrived on _all by herself_. She was pretty proud about that for the longest time, but a while back she had gotten on the internet to do a bit of research on her condition. From that she had discovered that a similar routine was common for many people with depression like hers. It shouldn't have been a surprise: waking up was one of the hardest things for her, so it would make sense that it was true for others too.

But even knowing that she wasn't the first to arrive at the idea, she still held on to a little bit of pride and she still kept at it. It made sense to Sayori ( _relative to anything else she did_ ) to take advantage of all that time she was going to spend lying in bed anyways. So she maintained her routine, and it kept her from being any later and more of a waste than she absolutely had to.

The first step was **Dread**. Some days had a lot of scary and unavoidable things, so spending a minute or two sweating that out was one thing to get out of the way. Thinking forward... Well her memories of last night were still pretty muzzy, and she was probably still half-dreaming right now. But even with that, there was no spike of panic. _Probably_ not a big dread day.

Second was **Concern** , or as close as she could ever manage for herself. Was she bleeding? Nope! Sneezing? Nada. Sick? Felt a bit warm but not anything unusual. 'Bleeding'? That wasn't for another week and... a bit, probably: She was bad at keeping track. So that was all fine, or as fine as Sayori got on the inside.

Third? **Painful memories**. Had she done or experienced anything stupid and awful in the last few days that would choose this moment to rear up and bite down? Those memories would always drain all of the energy from her limbs, and at their worst, make it feel like her heart was slowing down. Surprisingly none of them came to mind: Sure, Sunday had been overwhelming, but... For the first time in a _long_ time, she felt loved without agony riding in the backseat.

Fourth and second to last was **Hygiene** , and the avoidance thereof. She felt pretty clean, and this was a fresh(ish) pair of Sayori-style jammies. Her most recent shower had been Sunday morning, and she hadn't exerted herself significantly since then. The only noticable smells on her were the hints of Yuri's subtle perfume and Minato's comforting scent ( _gosh last night really happened, huh?_ ), but they wouldn't last long.

And that was because of Number Five: **Masturbation**. Sayori didn't like giving her depression a personality or agency or anything... But if it _did_ have likes or favorites, they'd include 'messing around with her libido' for sure. Waking up in the morning was like flipping coins to see if she'd mysteriously have no sex drive at all, or have fallen face-first into forty-eight hours of torturous and completely unprompted arousal. There was no middle ground, which made it worse because... Frankly, she _needed_ to get herself off sometimes.

Getting up in the morning when she had no energy at all was _so_ hard, and it hurt and drew on reserves she didn't even know were in her. But _at the very least_ if she could have that happy little rush downstairs and up her spine, it would get her moving for a few minutes. That'd get her to the kitchen, and then breakfast and caffeine could sort of carry her the rest of the way out the door. That was the routine that had allowed Sayori to drag herself to class on even her worst days for more than two years now.

It always started the same way: She gently slid one arm down towards her hips, stroking across her belly and thighs. For somebody who couldn't feel emotions very well, she sure was _physically_ sensitive: Especially on high-libido days. Sayori had times when it seemed like even the gentle scissoring of her legs would throw her down onto her knees in a shameful public orgasm... Which might have played into some of her fantasies, but that was off topic.

From there it was natural to direct her hand _down_ and _in_ , past her waistband right away. She'd end up gently cupping her fingers against herself down there, and even on a bad day it would be warm and comfortable to just... sit like that. But today was turning out to be whatever the _opposite_ of a bad day was... A _good_ day? That didn't sound right, although maybe she just wasn't used to the concept. Back on track! Today was feeling _very_ warm, _very_ sensitive, and quite... slippery. That first contact even caused an involuntary gasp, and hearing _that_ made her giggle on reflex.

The bedding around her was soft and warm, and as she nuzzled her face into the pillow it had a lot more of Minato's scent than she would have expected. Did he sit on her bed at some point during their talk the other day, or lay his jacket down? Either way it was _fantastic_ , and it paired surprisingly well with the lingering memories of burying her face into Yuri's chest. She started moving her fingers, at first softly gliding up and down across herself before taking a quick dip and dive _in_ , just barely brushing the button above.

This wasn't just a high-libido day, this was nearly a full-blown hypersensitivity day! Sayori honestly felt like she could cum any second now, but she held back. Pulling back away from full release was a treat when she could manage it: She didn't even have a fraction of the self-control needed to try proper edging, but she had a feeling it would be _awesome_ if she could. Something about that idea of just teetering, floating, right on the cusp of a shaky mind-blowing finish... She bit her lip and stifled another moan. Just like the public orgasm from her earlier thoughts, being edged was way up on her list of very private turn-ons.

She never thought she'd be able to try anything on that list, but now... She really had a boyfriend. And a girlfriend! And they had... Oh _wow_ that suddenly added a whole lot of new things to the list. A _lot_ of a lot. And they had only been together for what, a day or so? They had talked to each other, slowly gotten around to the idea, she'd gotten overwhelmed and laid down, and then...

Um.

And then...

_OK no Sayori you can do basic math. You laid down in Minato's room. The entire bed smells like Minato. You don't remember what else happened 'last night', or how you got home. Which means it wasn't last night, it was **today** , and you didn't get home. You're diddling yourself in his bed. And he and Yuri might not have even left the room._

Suddenly she was _incredibly_ glad that her face was smothered into the pillows, so that if they _were_ watching, they couldn't see the expression of sheer terror in her eyes. Or hear the moans that came out at the same time, because _oh no her first thought at being watched was 'I'm about to cum from this'_. Even if they weren't there, the fantasy was too much, the idea that she had been watched this entire time... Her legs quaked, her hips thrusting mindlessly against the palm of her hand as she tried to push her fingers as far back as possible. It went on for what felt like an entire minute before she collapsed, all tension leaving her body along with a fair bit of her dignity.

She blearily lifted her head away from the pillow to survey the damage.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Probably skirting the edge of Mature with this one, might end up changing the rating after a future chapter. Keep an eye out for that.


	3. Exchanged

_**A short time earlier...** _

"...Thank you."

Minato looked up at Yuri and smiled a bit, not entirely sure what to say in response. They had just finished watching Sayori drift off into a peaceful sleep, and now they were _very quietly_ cutting pieces of ribbon to make the door curtain. He had no experience with relationships, and no idea what went along with them apart from the things you'd pick up from years of ( _over_ )exposure to media. Was randomly thanking each other... No that didn't seem right. He should probably say something instead of just goofily looking at her, for that matter.

"Um. For?"

She blushed and turned away, but her voice carried in the quiet room: Sayori didn't snore, a fact that he vaguely remembered from when they were kids.

"L-lots of things! Primarily for... helping. With Sayori."

They kept slicing away at the ribbon as they talked, and at the very least Minato knew _he_ was glad of the excuse to avoid eye contact. Given Yuri's past history he suspected it was mutual.

"Oh! I should be the one thanking you: I'm still pretty lost about... Her problems. I've known her for so long, but I didn't..."

"I admit I am not fully aware of the scope of that myself. But we shall do our best to be there for her."

"Absolutely!"

When he looked up she was grinning, and he returned the gesture. They both went for the next piece of ribbon at the same time, their fingertips brushing across the slick material to meet in the middle-

\- - - - 

-and Yuri pulled her fingers back with a quiet _squeak_. Her nerves had been acting up even more than usual ever since their dizzying series of kisses, and now her mind was racing with so many other things. How could she help Sayori with her problems when she _herself_ was a walking back-catalog of issues? What kind of burden was that to lay on Minato's shoulders, to ask him to put his time and effort into not just one but _two_... No. She dismissed those thoughts: They were together, and the support would flow like a mountain stream from each point to the other. No single one of them would be burdened with the responsibilities or concerns.

"Ah, my apologies."

He smiled again, and that little flash of teeth sent her blade skittering across another stream of red-red rayon. Scratch that previous burst of uncharacteristic positivity: She was a mess, a pure unmitigated _schlump_ of a person. Sayori's soft breathing feet away made her own breath hitch and catch, and Minato's grin was enough to drive her to _dangerous_ distraction. Perhaps she really did need help, although that thought was paired with the urge to simply give in and become fully distracted. Maybe he could _distract_ her up against the wall, his wrists pinning her...

She let out a breathy, nervous giggle. For the majority of her life Yuri had been putting almost all of her effort into repression, minimization, keeping herself as normal and quiet as possible. The Literature Club had started to bring her out of that self-imposed shell a little bit at a time, and then the whirlwind energy between Minato and Sayori had blasted it apart. Now she was exposed to the air again, free to breath and stretch and _reveal_ herself, and it was **terrifying**.

_'Oh yes Minato, I'm a wonderful catch! My favorite words include such gems as obdurate, tutelary, scintillating, climax, and miasma. I get myself off at least twice a day, and once or twice a week I cut my arm bloody in the process! And I've got this cow's body and so much hair I could cosplay as a debatably-moé Godiva-of-Mercia, albeit sans half the dignity or the ability to ride a horse.'_

_'Certainly you're my first love Sayori! If we don't count any number of fictional characters and historical figures ranging from Charlemagne to Abraham Van Helsing, the blades of at least three different knives, and the concept of existential despair! I've stared longingly into the void on some nights and felt like it stared back, which is apparently normal if you exclude the twinge that thought sent to my-.'_

"Did you need something?"

Her self-loathing trance was broken by Minato's words, and the look of concern in his eyes made her cheeks and scalp and _elsewhere_ burn. Desperate for an excuse to quiet the voices she tried to respond, stuttering her way through about one-tenth of a reply before his fingers met hers-

\- - - - 

-and Minato lied to her face, trying to keep the smile on his face.

"I'll help you in any way I can, yaknow?"

_Yup. That's me. Full of helpful and marketable skills and good life decisions! I mean, that's what you call it, right? Not 'a half-baked gonna-be-NEET whose only foothold in this situation had to tell him to his face that she had been suffering from crippling depression for years', right? Right?_

"...And I you. Sayori as well, of course!"

Yuri darted her eyes over to their... partner? Friend didn't seem to cut it anymore, but they hadn't settled on anything further, and Minato was still churning with nerves even after the brave facade he put on earlier. He followed her gaze and couldn't help but smile: The shorter girl had rolled over at some point and curled against his pillows, facing the wall. He wished he could see her bright blue eyes right then, but with how tightly she was burrowed into the bed...

_"Why do you think I'm late to school every day? Because most days, I can't even find a reason to get out of bed. What reason is there to do anything when I fully know-"_

He shook his head vigorously and tried to push those memories back. He might not have been able to help her on his own, and he might not see himself as a great guy... But he trusted both of these girls, and _they_ clearly saw something in him. That was reason enough to try and settle his doubts. He and Yuri would do everything they could to help Sayori... And each other. It wasn't like anybody was free of those rough patches and dark thoughts, so it wasn't too much of a stretch to think they could balance one another.

Minato stood and passed his portion of the ribbon-sections over to Yuri, careful not to tangle or crease the sleek material in the process. They wanted to make a floor-to-ceiling door curtain on the entrance of the clubroom using these, so having them hang straight was paramount. He could keep his mind on the work and save the worrying for later: Assuming he could keep his mind off all of the _other_ parts of the situation, of course. No matter how you sliced it or justified things, he had two _unbearably_ hot girls in his bedroom right now, one sleeping in his bed and the other looking up at him with an expression that just... _Hhnnng_.

She reached her hand up to accept the ribbons, and for a moment her fingertips found the inside of his wrist-

\- - - - 

-on purpose, this time, her touch stroking and sliding across the delicate and vulnerable skin. Yuri couldn't help herself, in the same way that she couldn't help occasionally alleviating some of the sexual pressure that was omnipresent in her body using a clean sharp blade. This might _lead_ to that, despite her earlier swipe _tingling_ fresh on her arm. Between all the kissing and closeness, the boy's room, the faint masculine scent, the idea of what might be in that drawer... And now the taut stretch just below the base of his hand. She found joints fascinating, although she made _very_ sure to never put her knives anywhere near them.

Her breath grew a bit more ragged as her nails curved inwards, delicately scratching at the edge of his hands... It was only when he let out a noise, something unidentifiable that nonetheless sent her legs squirming, that she remembered it wasn't her _own_ wrist she was playing with for once.

"I-I'm sorry! I didn't, I..."

"Don't apologize. It was... really nice, actually. Just sort of caught me off-guard."

Yuri's mouth went dry and she could feel the shift in her pupils, dilation blowing them just a hint wider than normal. He _liked_ it. Oh god what if Sayori... On the one hand remembering that scar's real meaning and context sent bile flooding into her throat, but the idea of _touching_ it flooded her with other feelings and fluids _entirely_. God she was a freak, but if they could accept that from her then she might actually be able to...

"S-should I do it again?"

He gulped, visible, and Yuri watched his Adam's apple. Her eyes were drawn to it almost magnetically, waiting to see if he nodded. That permission to reach over and stroke his skin again, but this time to see his reactions and-

Her thoughts, and more notably his _response_ , were cut off by a noise from the bed. They turned as one to look, seeing Sayori had rolled into a slightly different position: Less of the blanket covered her shoulders now, and they could see her arms shifting. At first she thought it was just the movements of unconsciously repositioning pillows and getting into a more comfortable place. That idea lasted all of six seconds before the _noise_ , a delicious little half-whimper half-moan that she knew very well from the hidden depths of her laptop's file system.

Minato's face flushed and he turned back to her for a split-second before looking at Sayori again.

"Is she..."

Another sound just like the first, and both of them shuddered. She reached over to tug on his sleeve and instead brushed her fingers against his hand again-

\- - - - 

-he felt the contact and had to bite back a little sound of his own. Everything felt incredibly sensitive, the arousal and the strangeness of the situation catching him off guard. He looked over to Yuri and her expression... Might have mirrored his own. He hadn't seen a lot of sexually-aroused girls in real life ( _that he knew of: apparently they were a hell of a lot better at hiding it than guys_ ) but the slightly-parted lips, wide eyes, flushed cheeks... Yeah that seemed about right. He liked it a _lot_ , and paired with the noises Sayori was making...

"We shouldn't disturb her. Or should we? Does she not know we're still here?"

Oh shit, that's right. They should... go. Yeah. He agreed with that. It didn't stop him from turning back to look at the bed, watching her shoulders shift and roll... Imagining what that implied about her hands. He groaned a little, mouth firmly closed, and stepped backwards.

"Let's move away, at least. Come here."

The chairs they had originally used for stretching the banner out were carefully moved over towards his shelves, giving them a space to settle in and talk further away from the sorta-sleeping Sayori... And conveniently still letting them see his bed very clearly. Yuri nodded and sat down, never once taking her eyes off of the show they were being given, deliberately or not. He sat beside her and tried to keep his hands still at his side.

Their plan to leave or debate leaving completely forgotten, they just... watched. Minato did his damn hardest ( _haha, very funny_ ) to try and adjust himself subtly, but that just meant his hand was on his junk and he was _not_ inclined to move it away again. Sayori's back briefly arched, another impossibly-cute-hot-gorgeous noise coming out of her, and Yuri squeaked at that. He turned to apologize, to make way to open the door... Except it hadn't been a sound of embarrassment. One of her hands was nestled down between her sheer black leggings and he could clearly see the shift and shudder as she squeezed herself.

"Yuri..."

"We should stop her."

"Should we? Are you not supposed to wake sleep... diddlers, I guess? Sleepsturbators?"

Trying to crack wise at a time like this was a bad idea, as Yuri nearly laughed... But bit it back at the last possible second.

"I... maybe. I know **I** would be embarrassed, were it I in that circumstance."

"M-me too."

He said that half-heartedly, because while he _would_ be embarrassed it would probably be mixed with a spine-tingling and toe-curling new height to the whole thing. He'd turned his webcam on once, during: Not to anyone, just had the video screen up... That _alone_ had been so good he got scared of the prospect of it being habit-forming and never repeated the experiment.

"Well then, as her longtime friend, you should-"

" _Me_? I'm a guy: Even if it's my room... Hell, _especially_ because it's my room, that'd be weird."

"...Alright. Give me one moment love."

Yuri stood with a purposeful expression and strode over towards the bed, still keeping her steps quiet and measured. She arrived at the bedside, paused, and... dipped her hand back down to her waist. He briefly saw her legs shake, and then she turned around with an even deeper blush than before, rushing over to their seats and plopping herself down forcefully.

"I got over there with every intention of waking her and stopping her, but then I could _smell_ her and the thing I was about to do _was **not** stopping her_."

Well, today had just easily topped the last several years combined in terms of giving him new interests and fetishes, ranging from "the sensation of having his wrists scratched" to "the idea of Yuri smelling Sayori's... yeah" and more. Wouldn't be that weird to add "voyeurism" to the list, all things considered.

"...Well then I guess we just wait it out."

She nodded, stiffly, and let her hands come down to her sides. He did the same, and their fingers brushed together before curling around one another-

\- - - - 

They watched, entranced, as Sayori continued to finger herself. Their palms pressed together and flexed on occasion, sending little messages of reassurance along with an unavoidable reminder of their shared arousal. Minato tried to keep his hand off of the obvious bulge along his thigh, and Yuri did her best to avoid squeezing her mons _again_. They both failed, but it was a valiant effort. And hey, Sayori was clearly having a good time... Apparently a _very_ good time, because at some point her posture shifted and she began going faster, the comforter slipping again... She let out the loudest moan yet ( _or it would have been, if not for the pillow_ ) and her hips visibly thrashed beneath the covers. A few moments passed, the two of them still staring enraptured.

And then she turned her head up and looked at them, blue eyes blinking in the room's light.

~ ~ ~ ~ 

Minato and Yuri stared at her from a pair of chairs across the room, both clearly trying to hide the fact that they had been holding hands... and touching themselves, from the look of things. Her over-sensitive post-orgasm bits still gave a delightful little twinge at the sight of Minato's erection showing through his slacks, and Yuri's black pants hid quite a lot... But it was hard to hide the slight wet spot at the crotch. She would probably be quite the sight too, if she weren't covered in so much blanket.

Sayori could have been horrified, mortified, shocked, or all sorts of other Yuri-esque words about the situation: She had just been caught jilling herself in her best friend's bed, _by_ her best friend, **and** her other best friend... Both of whom she was now probably-sorta dating? And both of whom had clearly enjoyed the show. Those last parts took a lot of the sting out, as did the whole "best orgasm in her whole life so far" thing. But there were still _appearances_ to keep up, and she was very good at that. She was a little less good at being devious, but she did enjoy _trying_...

Maybe this was the chance to go for a patented Sayori Plot? Minato always saw through those, but for once that was her _plan_ : She could suggest something ridiculous, and he'd shoot her down with his cool logic and snarky banter, then they'd all laugh. The mood would lighten up again and everyone would stop feeling weird! With that plan in mind, Sayori put on her best pouty face and looked up. Both of her loves had moved their hands to their sides, away from any fun-touching that had been going on previously.

"I... You watched me?"

Neither of them said anything, but the blushes, arousal, and lack of eye contact said it all. Now was the perfect moment to strike: She just had to make up something _so_ outlandish neither of them would accept it!

"I'm not _mad_ , but... I should get to watch you two too! It's only fair."

_Heehee_! That was the perfect suggestion: Relevant and kinda hot, making it clear that she wasn't angry at all, but so far beyond 'normal' that Minato's comedic-straight-man instincts would kick in.

Minato looked even further away from her, and a blush started creeping up his collar. _Gosh_ he was seriously so cute at times like this. Maybe now that they were together he'd get all blushy when she hugged him at school? Oh the potential was-

"Sayori's right."

"Sorry I'm _what_?"

Yuri also seemed startled, and her blush was just as strong... But she wasn't disagreeing. In fact her hands had relaxed and moved back up to her thighs. Sayori watched transfixed as her friend started running her nails across her legs, just barely digging in with each pass. In the silence that followed Minato's words, the _zing_ and _zip_ of the fabric being scratched and tugged filled the air.

"You're right: We took advantage of the situation and didn't give you privacy, or let you know we were here. It's only fair that we do some role reversal in return."

Everything he said was just as sincere as usual... But at the very end, Sayori saw his lips curve up into a wicked little smirk. He _**KNEW**_ : He'd seen her plot coming and turned it back around on her! Before she could try to backpedal, Yuri was already nodding along.

"I agree. It's only... _fair_ , that we expose ourselves in turn."

Those words in that _voice_ filled her head with images so Sayori ( _blushing_ ) tried to soften the blow.

"N-no! I mean, I had the comforters on me and everything, and I was facing the wall... You can't have seen _that_ much. No need for... exposure!"

But Yuri wouldn't be deterred at this point: Whether she had seen through the ruse was another question entirely, but she had clearly settled her mind on the plan. And once Yuri was settled, the task was as good as done.

"No, dear: I _insist_."

While her original plan had been to clear the air with laughter, now it was charged with a very different emotion. While previously she had _noticed_ their arousal, now it felt like her eyes couldn't see anything except the outline along Minato's pant leg. Not to mention the way Yuri's nails dug a bit deeper on each pass along her slightly-parted thighs, in synch with her breaths getting deeper and more ragged. Her own musk ( _always a recipe for Round Two, lying in her own post-cum funk and getting turned on by herself again_ ) was making its way up, mingling with Minato's scent on the pillows and leaving Sayori dizzy. In the end she didn't even try to stop herself from nodding.

"Alright. I'll... Switch seats with you, Minato?"

And that’s how things _really_ got started.


	4. Exposed

At first it felt as if her head was clearing as she woke up, but Sayori quickly realized it was more like the opposite. Between watching Minato clamber onto the bed where she had just... and then sitting next to Yuri, listening to her panting and gasping... It made her head fuzzier than ever, the usual rainclouds overshadowed by streams of cotton. She drifted like that for a while, letting time pass as the last remnants of sleep drained out of her limbs. Usually she'd start to feel a bit more energetic by now, but being _so close_ to Yuri in this state was just making her feel more...

"Um, what's that word for being slow and lazy but in a cute way? Languishing?"

Yuri let her fingers pause their tracks up and down her dark leggings, drumming briefly instead.

" _Languid_."

"Right, that! You're making me feel very... that."

Her ( _girlfriend?_ ) inhaled sharply but didn't say anything else. Her cheeks were still flushed and now her hands were clenched tightly in her lap. Across the room Minato was sitting on the bed, probably wondering how much to take off... Sayori had seen him naked before, but they had been _way_ younger then, so she was fine either way. Yuri was watching the boy, fixated... Before turning away from Minato to face **her**. Her cheeks were fully red, she wasn't blinking, her breaths came in short shallow gasps... and something about that combination made Sayori want to _feel_ her.

"I apologize if I get more... _intense_ than usual. This is all so new, and you're both so wonderful... I got to watch you, and it was like one of my daydreams had come true. Now you're here and warm and soft. You're beautiful, you're nearly naked, and you _smell_ like..."

The same powerful gaze Yuri normally levelled at her books was now locked onto Sayori. She could feel the heat in the air between them: Rising, crackling, stifling. Moments passed where she was paralyzed with indecision, or maybe it was no time at all? Then the taller girl leaned down and held her face a mere inch away from Sayori's. She could feel each sharp exhalation tickling her cheeks, and instead of giggling she just _whimpered_.

"I'm going to kiss you now."

She didn't trust herself to talk right now so instead she nodded ( _very shallow, to avoid knocking their heads together_ ) and waited. If you could even call that fraction of a second a 'wait': Yuri dived forward with passion and hunger. The kiss was rougher than all of the ones they had shared earlier, lips moving and sliding together in ways that were just shy of over-stimulating. Whether it was their surroundings, her recent orgasm, or the knowledge that Minato was watching? Sayori was completely overwhelmed. She moaned into the kiss and Yuri immediately capitalized, flicking her tongue out and _in_ , simultaneously bringing her hands up against Sayori's sides.

Across the room she could hear Minato's appreciative whistle, and the heat inside of her spiked even higher than when she had been fingering herself in that very bed. She wanted to say something, or throw a pillow at him... But her mouth was fully occupied by Yuri's unexpected assertive side, and Minato had all the pillows on his side of the room. That just left her a single option: Moan and whimper. Sayori fell back and curled into the kiss, feeling weak and small but in a way that was _good_. She shivered and tried her best to keep up as her mouth was plundered.

Over the course of what felt like _days_ , Yuri pulled back and with her kisses. She put her teeth to use at the very end, gently nibbling and worrying at Sayori's lower lip. Feeling that pressure and tugging, she _knew_ it would be a swollen mess Monday. That thought made her... weirdly happy. She would be marked, clearly defined as one-who-was-loved, loved in the _carnal_ sense. A **lover**. Yuri definitely seemed to agree with that unspoken idea, since when she pulled away it was only to set her tongue and teeth to work on Sayori's jaw, slowly angling down towards her neck.

"Uh, girls? Not that I _mind_ this gorgeous display at all, but weren't we in the middle of something?"

 _Oh god she was still being watched_. It had slipped Sayori's mind for a split-second, but the reminder sent another spike of tight coiled heat through her. That was amplified by Yuri's loving and attentive bites and licks, all of it combining to the point where her thighs were shaking _again_ , so close, only a few minutes after she had finished. And then Yuri started _talking_. It was quiet, but understandable. The vibrations pushing into her sensitive skin made her squirm and moan, but eventually she had to pass on the message.

"Um, Yuri _aaahn_ says that she's being quiet so as not to hurt my ears. But she also says _nnngh_ I _honey please staaahp._ "

Minato was looking at her with gleaming eyes, his chin in his hands and his clothes... Already scattered around the bed. He was still wearing boxers, but _barely_ given how urgently his hardness looked like it was trying to push through. Her eyes caught on the sight and she tried to gesture for Yuri to look at it too... Sayori _felt_ it when she did, a harder bite drawing out another heady moan.

"Nono, keep going Yuri. This is _incredible_. You were saying, love?"

" _Meanie_. Teasing me like this when I'm at _hhhng_ her mercy. I love it though, never even thought of it before today but I _ohgod close, back down a bit_ know I'll dream about it now. Um. Um. _Ummmmmmmfff_... She was saying something about Friday?"

Yuri nodded, which sent her tongue laving across the entire length of her collarbone. Her shirt was almost off at this point, and she was pretty sure she wouldn't even _try_ to stop Yuri if it went that far. She repeated her point, slowly, making sure to keep her lips right on the surface of Sayori's neck the whole time.

"R-right, she says that _ffff_ Friday you were talking about _aaaah_ atmosphere for the Festival. She's _so hot_ setting up the atmosphere for... _Heee, seriously? Gosh you're so cute_. Your 'performance' for us. And she _loves_ atmosphere, I'm being told."

Even as she tried to give her report, Minato was already getting a head-start on his performance: Gentle strokes and pinching motions, gliding the pads of his fingers against himself through the thin fabric of his underwear. Each little bob and jerk was paired with a slight gasp, a pant, or a hissed intake of breath: She had never thought _he_ would be vocal 'during', but _oh_ was it nice. For better or worse, his vocalizations were quiet enough that she could still relay Yuri's messages.

"She says she can't stop because... moments? Oh, _momentum_."

Yuri finally pulled away, but only because her hands took over the task of teasing: Her hands slid around to Sayori's sides and grazed her hips.

"Ahem: I apologize. But yes, momentum. I have never been this _unrestrained_ before, never let my actions come out of my head like this. It's incredible! The two of you make it feel safe and _right_ , but I know myself and my limits. If I slow down or stop I will not be able to restart again today, so..."

"I don't mind at all, Yuri! You can occupy yourself with me as much as you want: Just _maaaaybe_ don't tickle me, please. You're awful close to my belly. And I guess that's Minato's cue..."

Minato nodded jerkily ( _hee!_ ) and continued his stroking, switching over to using his fingers to sort of... half-pinch half-stroke, applying pressure directly under the head of his shaft. His other hand grasped and clenched at the sheets, so this definitely seemed to be more effective on him... Sayori made sure to take mental notes. Yuri's molestation slowed down, as the action seemed to grab her attention just as much. She felt a new kind of bond forming from watching their lover and learning about him together.

His strokes changed and evolved: It was different for her, she tended to like the same kind of pressure throughout once things were warmed up. Minato adjusted and shifted and moved as he went, almost flashing a bit of himself through the thin veil of his boxers. Even without the sight of skin, the motions of his hand and the height he tented the fabric to were more than enough visual stimulation. Yuri was warm beside her and Sayori laid a hand on her thigh without any thought behind it. She'd never touched a girl like this before ( _earlier today being part of 'this', natch_ ), so she took a second to think about the sensation. It was _nice_ , so very soft and surprisingly heated.

Both of them watched as he gasped and groaned, switching over to the full-fledged stereotypical stroking motion, likely clenching his entire hand around himself the same way she could surround him with... Sayori shivered and squeezed her legs together, inadvertently digging her fingers into Yuri's as well. His eyes were closed now, and he concentrated on each motion, putting his focus into the 'work'. Minutes passed, the heat in the air grew and built as Minato seemed to struggle with something holding him back.

The finish came ( _heh_ ) when his eyes opened again. He looked at both of them and took a deep hissing inhale as his back started to arch. His hand slowed and stopped, and her eyes were drawn down from his piercing gaze to his... actions. Even though he wasn't stroking, she saw the cloth twitch and bend a little with each pulse. Yuri gasped and Sayori felt her own jaw dropping, because 'with each pulse' was very clear and visible: His boxers darkened at the tip at first, and then the cum itself started to push through the cloth, the clingy-sticky pool getting wider with each shot. She lost track of how many little shivers and pulses it was, but by the end the glob of thick white cream was barely holding on to the fabric and the wet stain was spreading from there.

"Oh that was _intense_. Hahaha, gimme... gimme a minute."

Sayori couldn't have disagreed with that even if she wanted to. Well, she probably _could_ but she was far too busy ingraining the image of Minato's finish into her mind. Even if things didn't go perfectly for their new relationship, that picture was going to fuel a _lot_ of her play in the future. That, and...

"Whew: Got my breath back... You still feeling the momentum, Yuri?"

The other girl stood quickly, which regrettably meant Sayori's grip on her thigh was disrupted. That regret was _very_ short-lived as Yuri's hands dove down to her hips and _shoved_ , sending the tight black pants she was wearing pooling onto the floor around her ankles. The direct _contact_ with the other girl's leg had been traded for a direct _view_ of her shapely butt, and _**wow**_ what a good trade. The sleek and pale arch of her ankles carried up through both legs like the lines of a sculpture, ending in a frankly gorgeous posterior sorta-hidden under a pair of magenta panties.

"Now more than _ever_ , love. Switch with me, and take care of Sayori while I'm... warming up?"

"Don't mind if I do!"

Minato came towards her, having slipped a pair of shorts on ( _booo!_ ) over his stained boxers before taking a seat. He smiled at her, his hair messy from the exertion, and her heart melted all over again. She knew that this was at least a _little_ bit the upswing talking as she came off what had felt like the worst week of depression in her life... But her boyfriend was _just too damn cute_.

"Hey."

"Hey yourself."

His gaze softened a bit, and she could tell he was trying to keep his eyes on her without totally letting Yuri out of his view either. She also couldn't blame him: That's a hard view to ignore!

"How, um... how're you feeling?"

"Like horny-wise, or in general?"

He choked on a laugh and she could see Yuri smiling out of the corner of her eye.

"I mean... both?"

"In terms of being heated up, I have never felt this turned on before and it's scary in a really good way because we've only just barely kinda done some touchy-kissy voyeury stuff and now I'm thinking how much better doing _more_ will be and... Yeah. It's actually a bit overwhelming still. As for the rest..."

Sayori stopped to think before replying any further. She knew what he was _actually_ asking, and normally that concern would have needled at her... Hell, this last week it would have hurt like she was burning. And yet she didn't feel that. It was like something had been lifted, and while the most nastiest parts of her depression came in cycles she had a strange feeling things might be a little less up-and-down from here on out.

"I feel really loved. And I feel like that without it _hurting_ , which is new! I thought that being loved this much would feel like... like the deepest possible hole, as if a spear or a gunshot had punched all the way through my body. But it doesn't!"

His smile brightened up at those words and she could practically _feel_ how torn Yuri was between continuing to prepare and rushing over to hug her. Of course she was about to deflate their excitement but... She was coming to realize that might be OK sometimes.

"Don't get me wrong, it hurts still. But it doesn't hurt _much_ and not in a _bad_ way. It's... it's like a good hurt, sorta like popping a joint back when you slept on it weird. My whole body feels achy and tingling and not all in a good way... Um."

They didn't stop her, both paying attention ( _even as Yuri pulled her sweater up to expose her matching bra, leaving the sleeves and collar in place to create a surprisingly appealing aesthetic_ ), so she kept going with a blush rising on her cheeks.

"I said I was worried about it feeling like the deepest hole earlier, but it's... more like the opposite. A super _shallow_ hole, with so little depth but somehow _**bigger** than me _if that makes sense. It's like my outer layers have been blown away like the puff off a dandelion. I feel exposed and open and... I can't tell if I love it or hate it. But I do know that I love you, I love _both_ of you, so much."

She caught the hint of a tear at the corner of Minato's eyes as she finished and _A.) she was making him cry holy shit B.) him crying shouldn't be cute or hot but it's **both** aaaaaaahhhh_. Across the room, Yuri applauded softly, which was just weird enough to draw her eyes back entirely to her girlfriend.

"That was very well-spoken, Sayori. I especially liked the specific metaphors you used, and... It may be strange of me to say this, but the emotional exposure and connection was just as exciting in its own way as your previous 'exposure'."

"Awww, thank you... and speaking of exposure, _jeez_ Yuri I just... Can I just take a second to really appreciate your boobs?"

Sayori was used to her friend being timid and soft-spoken, but it seemed like this mix of intimacy, privacy, love and lust was helping her come out of her shell even more than before. Yuri brought her hands up and pressed the sides of her breasts together, making a really _interesting_ shift in the slope of cleavage. Minato swallowed dryly beside her, and she gave a little clap of her own.

"Thaaank you!"

"Anytime lover."

She was going to hold Yuri to that promise, and it would be _hilarious_. But sneaky plans and pranks later, appreciating her girlfriend's bombshell body now. It seems she was fully prepared now: Her leggings discarded, her sweater pulled up to expose her chest like a sort-of bolero, and her hands raking across her thighs again. It was clear that she liked a bit of pressure and maybe even pain from the way she dug her nails in with each sweep, just like she had earlier... But now it had an entirely new layer of hotness because Sayori knew what was next.

"I will admit that my... usual methods are _nn_ not suitable right now, so I apologize if I am out of practice."

"Wait, do you have _toys_?"

"Not... precisely."

Minato bumped her with his shoulder and leaned over to whisper in her ear.

" _We can fix that though: Maybe a shopping trip is in order sometime soon_?"

She shivered at that and leaned into him without thinking... He took the chance to bite and lick at the shell of her ear and Sayori felt herself react even before the moan left her lips. It took some effort to whisper back instead of tackling him out of that chair, but they _did_ have a show to watch.

" _mmmmplease._ "

" _Please what?_ "

" _Either way less or WAY more. But don't distract me from Yuri too much... Nnngh how are you able to pay attention to me when she's all exposed and jubbly over there?_ "

Minato kept kissing and licking and even nibbling, letting his breath wash over her and _really_ making her wish that she had another turn coming up to get herself off: This growing tension was unbearable, and it felt like he could put her up to the edge with just a touch at this point.

" _Because you're **both** lovely... and Yuri sat on the corner of the bed where I can turn my head to you and still see her._"

He didn't say anything further after that, just picking up where Yuri had left off in turning her into a whimpering over-teased mess. Meanwhile Yuri herself had let one hand slide further in, further in with each pass of her fingernails until now it rested over her panties. The heel of her hand was pushing down against the top of her mound, applying pressure through the fabric and skin alike to stimulate the root of her clit. Sayori had seen that kind of thing on the internet before, when trying to figure out the best way to take care of herself without exerting too much energy. It hadn't worked out well for her, but Yuri seemed to take to it well: Her breath was already coming in short shallow gasps, her chest heaving under its last remaining restraint.

"Regrettably I do not have Minato's stamina... I believe I will finish quite quickly once I focus. Are you both... prepared?"

Sayori nodded quickly and Minato pulled away from her ear. She couldn't tell if she was more happy about that or disappointed, but in the end she just decided to focus on Yuri. The other girl was... so _much_. Sayori wasn't scrawny or little, but she had always felt a bit small growing up next to Minato, and that feeling only got stronger when her closest female friend ended up being just as tall as him. Not to mention her _curves_ , or the wonderful overwhelming tenor of her _(rarely heard_ ) voice... And now that they were in this situation, all of that was coming together in one amazing package that included her shaking shoulders, bucking hips and lip-biting expressions.

They watched raptly as their mutual lover raced herself to the finish line, metaphorically throwing herself head-first into orgasm. Even as her legs began to spread and quake she didn't slow down with the movement of her hands, and Sayori could see the moment she tipped over: Her moans turned into one sustained sound, her back arched and her head tipped back. The hand on her crotch kept rotating and pressing down in deep heavy circles, while the fingers of her other dug in deep at the top of her thigh. She moaned and gasped and finally the sound was choked off, having thrown her head so far back that they couldn't see her expression at all.

She tried not to whimper or touch herself in sympathetic arousal, and failed on both counts: One hand was working quickly between her legs and the other was clutching Minato's for dear life. He was a bit less frantic but in a similar situation, his shorts shuffling and straining to contain the action beneath. Yuri came down in pants and gasps, leaning forward again and lifting her hands, one of them lightly wet at the heel of the palm and the other...

Both of them stopped their self-love immediately and looked at her fingernails as she extracted them, quite literally, from her leg.

"Oh _gosh_ that's... Yuri are you alright?"

Her response was slow and lazy, which made sense given how dazed she seemed in the afterglow.

"Hrm?"

Minato's voice was full of concern even as Yuri looked at her fingertips, stained to the first knuckle with red.

"That's a _lot_ of-"

His voice caught in his throat as Yuri languidly raised the hand to her mouth. She licked, suckled, and otherwise cleaned all of her bloody fingers with her own tongue, before casually switching hands and taking care of the ( _relatively_ ) small damp spot near her wrist. They were both shocked into silence, and after a few moments that fact seemed to dawn on Yuri herself.

"Ah. I... oh. Oh god I've..."

Her fists clenched and she leaned back, flopping herself onto Minato's bed and starting to curl into the fetal position. It only took a brief glance between the two of them before they rushed over and moved to comfort her, finding places to wrap their arms around and provide what comfort they could. Questions could come later, and so could the rest of the festival preparations: Right now they just needed to be together and to make sure everything would be OK.

And despite what had just happened? 

For the first time in years, Sayori thought it really would be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yikes, 3 week gap huh? Sorry about that: A bunch of unique circumstances came up all at once. The good news is, I've got several more chapters worth in the barrel already... but they're out of sequence. So this dry spell will probably be compensated with a consistent output in the near future.
> 
> And that consistent output will be the first pivot to seeing how everydoki else is doing!


	5. Surprised

Natsuki was dreading the day ahead. _Sure_ Friday and Saturday had been uneventful, but that was just a lucky calm before an inevitable shitstorm. She had put off baking the cupcakes for the Festival on Monday, not just because of freshness ( _seriously, two-day old cupcakes at an event like that would **ruin** her baker's cred_ ) but because of... Well, she'd settle on calling it 'outside influence'. No sense rocking _that_ boat any further than she had to. She'd scrounged together ingredients over the last few days, including all that hadn't gone into the 'Welcome New Member!' batch Sayori had tricked out of her.

In the end, falling for that ruse hadn't been the _worst_ thing Natsuki had ever done: Minato had stayed, probably in part due to the cupcakes. And he was... nice. Clearly not into her, but who _would_ be? He only had eyes for bigger, bustier girls like Sayori or Yuri... Although given that, she was kinda surprised he didn't horndog on Monika. She'd always had a sneaking suspicion their President was hiding something just as crazy as Yuri, yet the newest member of the Literature Club barely even gave her the time of day. Maybe it _wasn't_ just the chests then... Either way, no love for little Natsuki. Not that her reflexive _tsun_ helped matters.

And yeah she was totally aware of how she acted under pressure... She tried to be more honest with her friends at the Club, but something ( _as if she didn't know what_ ) just kept goading her into making more distance. It reminded her of a line she'd seen flipping through manga at the store a while back: ' _Make no enemies, they will stab you in the heart. Make no friends, they will stab you in the back. It is better to live your life **alone**_.' Natsuki's heart didn't agree with that, and her head sure as _hell_ didn't agree, but some kind of similar instinct kept bubbling to the surface anyways.

So here she was preparing to spend an entire day making cupcakes, hopefully alone. If Papa showed his face there was a better-than-average chance everything would be ruined, and she'd have to either show up Monday empty-handed or just fake sick... again. Not a good plan, since then Papa would go _more_ ballistic that she wasn't in school, but the idea of showing up to the Club before the others without the promised pastries... Ew. No. She'd take a belting before facing those pitying eyes. Hopefully in the sense of 'one over the other' and not 'one _after_ the other'. There's bad days and then there'd be _that_.

On her way out of her bedroom she threw on a casual ensemble, although still something fairly ~~cute~~ good-looking. Her least-damaged black tank top, a decent white blouse over that, skirt, undies, pink socks... She baked her best when she was looking sharp, even if it wasn't with anyone else around. Not that she ever _had_ baked with anyone else around, but it was the _principle_ of the thing. 

Before she could even finish that thought properly, the doorbell rang and her heart froze.

_He forgot his keys. He'll blame me. I'll have to-_

It rang again, and Natsuki's thoughts slowed. That... wasn't Papa. He'd be pounding on the door with his fist once the ring wasn't answered. It was just actually a visitor. That meant that it was still an interruption, but not worst-case. She took a deep breath and stepped away from the counter, quickly beating a path to the front of the house. Their peephole had been cracked a while ago, so she couldn't really check who it was ahead of time... Probably some kind of delivery. Hopefully not the cops.

"Hey!"

Fucking _Monika_. The Literature Club President was standing in front of her house, looking at her with an unfamiliar expression... Not to mention an unfamiliar _outfit_. She was wearing a pair of dark grey jeans ( _she owned **pants**!?_ ) under what looked like one of their school's varsity jackets... Right, wasn't she on some kind of sports team along with the debate club last year? That sounded _kind_ of familiar. The grey and black went surprisingly well on her, doubly so given that Natsuki had not seen her outside of school clothes _ever_. She still wore the same white ribbon, but it looked even more stark against the dark clothes, making her stand out like a beacon.

When she spent her time replying to Monika's greeting, Natsuki finally manged to figure out what that look on her face was. It was _awkwardnes_. Plus a bit of fear, maybe, and some hope. The kind of look she herself had made a lot in the past, when asking Papa about uniform fees or paying for class trips or maybe getting something to keep in the fridge. Seeing it on Monika was unsettling and made her chest ache a little.

"...Hey. What's up?"

"I, well... Ahaha. Didn't even think about what I was going to say."

Natsuki rolled her eyes and went to snark, but _barely_ managed to bite it back.

"Y- yeah, take your time."

The President did, leaving the two of them standing in the doorway, thankfully hidden from the street by a small wall. She didn't feel comfortable inviting her in, friend or President or whatever: God only knows what Papa would do if he saw a thirty-inch brown hair on the couch. At the same time, it didn't seem right to completely step away from the house, so she just stood there like the guardian at a particularly dinky gate.

"I wanted to apologize."

"What? Oh, for the argument Friday? That wasn't-"

Monika reached forward and grabbed one of her hands, another thing she had never done before: She wasn't a physical person, as far as Natsuki had seen. She would flirt and flounce and do that little _hop_ with her skirt, but touching people? Not so much.

"No. Well, yes. I mean... for a lot of things."

She could have jerked her hand away, or made some kind of comment. But she was too dazed to do anything but listen at this point, the entire situation catching her way too far off guard.

"I'm sorry I haven't taken your interests seriously. I'm sorry I haven't taken _you_ seriously. I keep saying nasty things about your manga, and moving it just to... I've done a lot of things that I really shouldn't have, and I want to make it up to you."

_Nice try Prez, but unless you've got a way to save me from my **life** there's not a ton you can do._

She swallows that comment, eventually getting other words to struggle out over top of them. As she does her hand slips out of Monika's, which she regrets immediately: It had been warm.

"Um, apology... accepted? I'm kinda used to it, so it's not that big of a deal."

" _No_. That just makes it a bigger deal! I should have known better and I should have _been_ better. And... I'll be honest. I had a bit of a freakout this morning and might have..."

Oh God. Was she about to hear a murder confession? Did Little Miss Perfect snap and bludgeon somebody with her giant ponytail? Dark clothes hide bloodstains...

"...I might have gone on a tear and did all the prep work for the Festival without Sayori."

No. Of course not. Of _course_ it'd be something silly like that.

"Right. So why are you apologizing to me for that?"

"Oh! Sorry, got my wires crossed: That part wasn't an apology. I was just explaining... I'm free all day. And kind of stressed out and a _little_ bit bored. So I was wondering if you'd like some help with the baking? I know you said you could handle it all yourself, but at the same time I kinda... really love your cupcakes, and I'd be interested in learning from you."

"...That's a cool offer, Monika. Thanks, seriously. But I can't really have anyone over-"

"That's fine! I meant at my place anyways. I've got a ton of ingredients, an oversized kitchen... It's kind of a waste to not put it to better use. But, if you prefer your own ingredients you can bring them: I'll be glad to carry whatever. It's not far, actually!"

Natsuki turned her head and looked back through the door into the half-dark house. She could just barely smell stale alcohol, saw dust in the air... She turned around again and saw Monika backlit by the late-morning sun, her smile still shaky and slightly off-model. If she were Yuri, this would be a situation where she made some kind of analogy to a rock and a hard place... Except if the rock _sucked_ and you lived in it half the damn time and the hard place were actually soft ~~and pretty~~ and inviting.

"Yeah you know what? Fuck it. You stay here, five minutes tops, I'll go pack my shit."

"Wow, you're a _lot_ more free with your vocabulary outside of school. I kind of like that dichotomy!"

She flipped the bird over her shoulder as she went inside... Not that she'd ever say it out loud, but she liked the contrast herself. The reactions were great when the short girly-girl went all sailor. As a bonus _right now_ , all the swearing and posturing made it easier to hide her blush before she rounded the corner into the kitchen.

~ ~ ~ ~ 

Initially Natsuki thought they were on the way to an apartment building, which would have made a _bit_ of sense: Monika had never really talked about her family situation and apparently didn't have any siblings. The structure they were heading towards was definitely the right size to be a small rental apartment, maybe six or seven tenants? But the front gate was low to the ground and unlocked, and outside there were no balconies, no entrances... One front door. She didn't want to believe it, but the fact dawned on her: It was all Monika. Of course. Why _wouldn't_ she live in a friggin' modern _palace_ three times bigger than Natsuki's entire house, on top of everything else frustrating about her?

" _How_?"

And the cherry on the cupcake was that Monika apparently didn't even realize what she was asking at first. That ignorance kept up until Natsuki gestured with full fury at the huge mansion: No sense wasting words elaborating when she was too angry to make words _come **out**_. Monika's expression shifted between confusion, realization, and then something _else_. It wasn't too different from the disappointed frown she had fallen into the other day, when Natsuki had admitted that she didn't think of the Club as anything but a place to be safe and free. It was painful to look at, to the point where all of a sudden _she_ was the one feeling bad! Goddamnit Monika.

"Oh! ...oh. My whole family lives here sometimes, is the thing, but... Right now it's just me. Keeping up the place."

... _Double goddamnit Monika_.

The club President shifted the bags of baking supplies between her arms and brought out a surprisingly chunky keyring: Very uncute, not what Natsuki would have expected... Although given the situation she should probably just throw away expectations entirely.

"Anyways, hopefully we've got the kind of space and equipment you'll need inside... I'm going to admit now that I don't have much cooking experience."

"Good."

"...Sorry?"

"I just mean... I'm frustrated, and being snarky. You know how it is."

Monika smiled over her shoulder, trying ( _and not doing a great job_ ) to blindly get one of her keys into the lock on the front door.

"Yeah, although it's so rare to hear you admit it. Maybe we should hang out away from school more often!"

" _Hah_. I mean... All I was saying is that I'd be pretty pissed if you had a ton of secret cooking experience on top of everything else. Sometimes you're a bit too perfect, and it gets on my nerves."

"Mine too, honestly."

She wanted to question that but didn't have a chance: Monika finally got the front door open and immediately barreled her way inside, nearly dropping the bags. Natsuki would have gone ballistic if she had, but it was just a close call: In the end she managed to trip and stumble her way from the door and directly into the kitchen. It wasn't even a long trip, because the house was...

'Open' was the first word that came to mind, right before 'bright'. All of the lights she could see were on before they even got inside, a huge contrast to Natsuki's own home: Papa would leave the lights off even if he was _**in**_ a room half the time, claiming it saved on the power bills. She knew he was just hiding a hangover headache when he said that, but she never called out the lie. The excessive lighting just served to emphasize how _huge_ the place was, with a staircase gently curving up from the entrance hall to a _second floor_ , and she'd bet cash money there was another set of stairs leading to some stupidly lavish basement nearby.

"Come on inside, make yourself at home! I'll give you the whistle-stop tour in a bit, I just want to make sure I get the perishables in the fridge: Anything other than the eggs and milk?"

"No, the icing and stuff is all pretty stable, and I didn't ha... we're not _using_ cream cheese or anything."

"Well if you change your mind on that bit we've got plenty, haha!"

Monika's cheerful little laugh just put Natsuki's teeth on edge as she kept looking around the place. All the rooms she saw were open like she'd originally thought, but it took a second glance to reveal why she was so unsettled. It wasn't that the doors were actually swung open, but there _weren't_ doors: Just the three walls of a room attached directly to the foyer or a hallway by an open space. She couldn't even imagine how rough that was for privacy... Were the _bathrooms_ like that?

"Really um, interesting layout."

Monika looked up from the innards of the burnished steel refrigerator and tilted her head.

"The whole 'no doors' thing. Is the whole house like that?"

"Yup! I think the designer really took 'open concept' to heart."

_Freakin' rich people_. Then again it wasn't even the weirdest house layout she'd seen in a manga, so the only real difference was seeing it in the flesh.

"I honestly think I've done enough looking around for now: Let's get to the cupcakes sooner than later, alright?"

Monika wasn’t smiling, or frowning... Just looking at her with that unreadable flat expression again. She nodded and let the fridge door fall shut behind her.

“...Sure thing: Show me the way, cupcake sensei.”


	6. Stripped

The initial stages of the baking went by ... _inconsistently_. 

Natsuki didn't really understand what was going on. Sometimes she had to walk Monika through every step of the basics as if she had never stepped foot in this kitchen before, and other times the older girl took the initiative and did arbitrary things flawlessly. Her grip on the handles of the tools and utensils? Perfection, like watching an expert pâtissier's hands on camera. Actually _using_ any of those tools? That was more like watching a toddler beat their toys together. Natsuki winced in very real pain when Monika wrecked a balloon whisk by mashing it into the bowl hard enough to damage the bindings... and then cursed her family and their wealth when she pulled an identical replacement out of a gigantic drawer.

Work progressed like that, in fits and starts, for most of an hour. Eventually they got to the point where Monika was no longer at any risk of destroying things ( _she had learned to **tell** Natsuki beforehand if she didn't know how to do a thing, so she could demonstrate hands-on_) and that meant it was time for the icings and frosting. Natsuki was still debating whether or not to accept Monika's offer of ingredients, but either way they could make what she had planned first: Seven-minute frosting.

The benefit compared to her original plans was that she had Monika here to do the heavy lifting. And Monika didn't know the first thing about what they were doing, so she could be cheeky and have her try to mix the whole thing by hand. Even on the days where Natsuki couldn't risk waking up Papa, she had never tried making that icing without a powerful mixer. Worst comes to worst, it would be a funny little prank to clear the air after all that heavy talk about apologies and shit.

"So... here's what we're going to do for the frosting. We'll make some decoration icing too, or... well you said you had gel icing somewhere, so we shouldn't double up on the work, right?"

There. Natsuki would bristle at accepting charity, but by couching it in those terms she didn't feel as bad. She knew full-well it was only a step away from lying to herself, but... What's a girl to do?

Monika nodded and gestured with her arms open, as if saying 'my home is your home'.

"Sure thing! So I see we've got... Egg whites, a _lot_ of sugar, and some vanilla?"

"Not _just_ sugar though! I did you the courtesy of mixing in the other ingredients, since they're both white powders anyways: Cream of tartar and salt. Gives the whole thing lift and structure if it's done right."

"Well like I've been saying, I'm new to all of this but I'll do my best!"

That wasn't as reassuring as Monika probably intended it to be, but Natsuki moved on anyways. They had already discussed the double boiler when she put the water on to boil ( _over one of those friggin' induction stoves_ ), so now she just had to explain the technique.

"Alright, so... You really need to get your whisk in there: Not like earlier though!"

"Ehehe, sorry about that. I honestly don't know my own strength sometimes."

She rolled her eyes and moved on, covering all the details and techniques. Leaving out, of course, the fact that you normally do this with a variable-speed hand mixer on 'high' and not a balloon whisk and the muscles of a high-school girl. Watching Monika screw something serious up for once ( _whisk destruction aside_ ) would be a relief: In spite of all her earlier apologizing ( _which they hadn't brought up again_ ), she still felt like Monika was overly perfect in an unsettling way. It wouldn't be any significant waste, and they could make the frosting normally afterwards... She just wanted to see Monika make a mistake _once ever_. Just to see her sweat.

~ ~ ~ ~ 

Seven minutes and change later, things were going surprisingly well. Natsuki was starting to feel kind of happy despite herself: Her jealousy-grudge dealy with Monika was clearly ( _and obviously_ ) not a two-way thing, or even a thing that Monika _noticed_. The girl _had_ come to apologize to her in the morning, and she was even now putting in the effort to absorb all of Natsuki's lessons and put them into practice. She also hadn't complained about the difficulty of putting the icing together by hand, and whatever sport she had been in last year clearly gave her the muscles to make it work. 

Not that Natsuki could see any of those muscles underneath the bulky sweater that had been under Monika's equally-bulky jacket... Which isn't to say she was _trying_ to look, either! No, as it turned out Monika was being the bigger girl here ( _literally and like the figure of speech_ ), so it was probably time for Natsuki to clear the air and fess up. After they got the first batch out of the oven, anyways.

"Alright, now that the vanilla extract is worked in the frosting is pretty much finished! Good job: That gives us a full batch of plain frosting and two pans of plain cupcakes. If we want to mix it up we can get started on variations next... assuming you're up for it?"

Rather than replying, Monika stepped away from the counter and _stretched_. It was damn near theatrical the way the girl put her hands together over her head, arching her back, curving her spine... Natsuki _definitely_ wasn't staring at the display. Absolutely wasn't watching as the edges of the sweater crept up from her waistline to reveal an undershirt, which crept up to reveal smooth skin. And she one hundred percent totally didn't startle and jump back when Monika _moaned_ , throaty and loud, as something in her back popped.

"Mmmmmh... Yeah, I think so. Doing all that mixing by hand was a serious workout, but you were totally right: I think it's better to learn it that way before using a hand mixer. Maybe next batch!"

"Hah, yeah, about thaaaAAAAH!"

Natsuki's reason for screaming was pretty obvious ( _to her, anyways_ ): In one fluid motion from the end of her stretch, Monika dropped her hands back down to the rising edge of her sweater and then tugged it back over: Hands overhead, hands at her hips, and back over her head in a blink of an eye. The flashy act revealed even more skin, briefly, and left Monika wearing nothing but a plain white camisole shirt, a black bra starkly visible underneath thanks to...

She had made her original suggestion about Monika doing the mixing by hand out of spite, and because she wanted the perfect rich girl to **sweat**. Now that she could actually _see_ the faint sheen on Monika's bare arms and midriff? The second part was more appealing in the long run.

"Oh! I'm sorry, I didn't intend to startle you. Between the exertion and the heat... I dressed warm earlier on the off chance I might be outside for a while, but that backfired."

At first she couldn't find it in herself to speak, and then she couldn't find the words. Eventually, Natsuki managed to stammer out a reply.

"Y-you did that _on purpose_!"

Monika flashed her that winning smile, with a hint of something new underneath.

"And you lied to me about the hand mixing on purpose, so we're even."

"So you knew?"

"I nearly threw my shoulder out beating that frosting: It was obvious around the four minute mark."

Natsuki had to really re-evaluate what she knew about the Literature Club's leader based on today. Monika was quick and eager to learn, she went out of her way to visit Natsuki's home and apologize, she was freely giving of her time, her kitchen, and her ingredients... And she knew not just how to take a joke, but how to turn it around on her. All without getting uppity or angry or shitty like any of Natsuki's other 'friends' outside of the Club.

"Alright, we're even. Sorry about that, I've just..."

That smile barely shifted, yet Monika's expression became so sorrowful Natsuki couldn't look directly at it. Her first instinct was to look down, but she _also_ couldn't look directly at the glistening cleavage popping out of the camisole top. Eventually she settled on looking up, trying not to feel ridiculous as she counted the little stucco ripples on the ceiling.

"Having a bad week? I know things have been pretty shaken up with our new member and everything, but-"

"It isn't that. Everything at the club has been... good. Great even. That blow-up the other day, even that was nice in its own way: I don't get to vent much. It's just everything... else."

"I understand. It might not seem like it, but I promise I _really_ understand. Things have been changing for me in major ways recently, and it's... it's a lot. You know you can vent to me if it helps, right Natsuki? You could even vent _at_ me: I'm a big girl, I can take it!"

Her eyes darted back to the President's chest and she muttered something about just _how_ big she was. Monika immediately started laughing, which filled her with dread.

" _Shit_. Sorry about that."

The other girl seemed completely fine with it, actually crossing her arms under her breasts and pushing them up and out a bit.

"It's no problem: They're big girls too!"

...Well, if she could take a joke about them then Natsuki didn't feel nearly as bad.

"Yeah, I can tell: That bra must be working overtime."

"A bit! I'm kind of surprised you're going without, come to think of it."

She winced and looked down at her own unimpressive chest, covered only by a black tank and her blouse. To a boy it would probably look like she had bra straps coming out from the white top, but Monika correctly called it out in one. Natsuki mimicked her gesture, crossing her arms under _nothing_ and shrugging a bit. The effect was a hell of a lot less impressive, so she followed it up with a mocking little squeeze with both hands, which got Monika blushing immediately.

"Really? A bra for _these_? I didn't think they came in A-flat."

It was Monika's turn to look away with a bashful expression, and she didn't bother to surpress the little thrill of victory at that.

"It's just that at school sometimes I can see... pink."

Natsuki reflexively blew a hair away from her face at that, and then paused. The other girl clearly hadn't meant hair, so she was talking about...

"Are you SERIOUS!?"

The President backpedalled quickly, putting her hands up defensively.

"Well it's just that with the height difference, I kinda have to look at you from a top-down view!"

"Sure, but that's no excuse to _view_ down my **top**!"

"S-sorry. I just worry about you girls sometimes."

She had to raise an eyebrow at that, waiting for Monika to look back at her.

"Look, seriously... The concern is appreciated. Although if you get that worried about me not having a bra, I wonder how bad it'd freak you out if I ditched my undershirt entirely."

And _there_ was what she had been waiting for: Even her self-groping earlier hadn't gotten as big a reaction from Monika as she had hoped. But now they were back on even footing, with the other girl totally stunned at the idea. Before she could recover, Natsuki decided to press the attack.

"I mean, I only wear a ragged old crop top when I exercise, so this wouldn't be very different."

"F-fine, but... How would _you_ react if I did my little hip-pop thing-"

She helpfully demonstrated, not that Natsuki needed it: Monika did it like three times a day.

"- _without any panties on_?"

That blew her straight past shocked and into blind outrage

" _This_ and **that** are two different things!"

Silence reigned over the kitchen for a little while, only the gentle hum of the fridge and the stovetop providing any background noise.

"...How did you know I can see... down there, when you do that?"

Monika smiled, albeit more weakly than before.

"Honey, _everyone_ can see when I do that. I don't mind it much."

Natsuki didn't have a reply for that, so things went back to silence for a bit. She tried not to imagine the scenario Monika described, and failed miserably. Monika started talking again right before her blush felt like it would explode off of her face.

"Seriously thought: You should think about a bra. Even if you're... _petite_ , it's bad for your health to go without one all the time."

Natsuki tried not to roll her eyes, having heard this schpiel plenty of time from the school nurse. She'd probably have heard it from the doctor too, if she ever went to one. Even after all of their banter and the blushy things they had been discussing, she was feeling the good old reflexive anger start to bubble up.

"It's a moot point Monika: I can't afford one. Much less ones _plural_ , if by some miracle I start growing. So unless you're offering-"

"I am."

"-then I definitely can't _wait what_?"

Monika gestured at the room around them with one arm, leaving the other under her breasts.

"I'm _offering_. You're my friend, you need a thing... Let's get you the thing."

"No look, I was working up to a whole _tsun_ thing and derailing me isn't going to stop that."

"Wasn't trying to derail you. I'm just saying... Let's go shopping, together. My treat. Hell, we can go after this, or even take a break once we pull this first batch out of the oven."

She couldn't trust her voice to hold out if she raised it, so Natsuki's reply was practically a whisper.

"...are you serious?"

"Serious as literature. I mean, not that all literary work has to be serious, but-"

Natsuki threw herself forward and hugged Monika before she could finish the sentence. It had been instinct to always reject charity in the past, but this week had been... She'd take what she could get. And if Papa didn't find out, so much the better. She sighed as Monika ran a hand through her hair, lining up the little stray bits in the back that weren't managed by any of the ribbons. She also did her level best to ignore the way her face was pressed firmly between Monika's tits, although some part of her was busy memorizing every moment of it.

"Monika, that's _not_ going to be cheap. I-"

"You've seen my house, this kitchen... Do you think money's any object to me?"

There wasn't a response for that... or if there was, Natsuki just didn't have it in her. She let the hug linger as long as she felt was comfortable, and then a second or two longer, before pulling away and looking up at her friend.

"Shopping it is then. But we really do need to pull this batch soon, now that you mention it. And we're going to have to refrigerate some of the ingredients while we're gone, and-"

Things went back to normal for a little while after that. But only for a very little while.


	7. Sustained

The car ride over must have been really _long_ or really _boring_ , maybe both: Natsuki wasn't sure. She nodded off pretty early on and was only now getting her bearings. She probably 'passed out' if we're being technical, but... Well, Papa didn't like complaining. He didn't like much of anything really, but that was _not_ the topic at hand. Natsuki would do her best ( _as usual_ ) to pretend he didn't exist for as long as she could avoid reminders. Unfortunately her growling stomach was one of those reminders, and it only escalated thanks to the nearby smell of...

"Food?"

"Yup~!"

She tried to shake off the drowsiness in her bones and only succeeded in knocking one of her own ribbons loose. _That_ was enough to get her mad, and anger always got Natsuki to wake up good and quick: She jerked up into a full sitting position and started removing the offending ornament while Monika settled down at their table with the delicious-smelling food.

"You seemed like you really needed the rest, so I took the liberty of ordering for you... And while **I** might be a vegetarian, I'm not about forcing it on others: You're good with fried chicken, right?"

Natsuki looked over the plates and trays blearily: Looked like thin pieces of fried chicken with rice, or maybe those little rice-ish noodles ( _orzo? vermi-something? those both sound right_ )... Could be riced potatoes, even: Her vision was still mucked up with sleepy dust. It was some kind of starchy side with brown sauce, regardless. The kind of meal she basically never got to have, _especially_ not on weekends. The last time she ate this well was when she scrounged up enough for cafeteria lunch at school. Across the table, Monika's own tray had a few slices of pizza and two drinks: One was probably from a milkshake or ice cream place, and the other was a sizable soda cup.

Pushing her messed-up bangs aside, the moving hair uncovered her own beverage. She leaned forward and took a sip and tried not to think about how _sweet_ it was, and how the tears she could feel had nothing to do with sleep dust or hair in her eyes. 

"Yeah, that's great actually. I'll ...I'll, um. Pay y-"

" _No_."

She had seen Monika get sad before, or at least discouraged. When Natsuki had confessed to not caring about the Literature aspect of the Literature Club earlier that week, _that_ had been the darkest expression she ever saw on Monika's face. Some weird mix of despair and detachment, as if Natsuki had thrown away something precious to the other girl right in front of her eyes. But after she calmed down her thoughts about the Club had come around eventually, and Monika had then cheered up with equal speed. Right now though? 

Her expression wasn't sad or pitying or anything close: She was _angry_.

"Money. Is. No. _Object_. I already _**said**_ that. And..."

Monika caught herself almost immediately and took a few deep breaths.

"And I shouldn't be snapping at you. I'm sorry: I think this is new to us both. But... I'm paying and that's final. For the foreseeable future, anything that comes up comes out of _my_ pocket."

"Look, there is no way I could accept that!"

Her face finally shifted back to a familiar expression: That knowing little _smirk_ she used so much.

"Shame I already paid then! I have no intention of taking your money. Feel free repay me I suppose, but only if you enjoy taking it right back afterwards."

Natsuki bristled.

"You're not the only one who can refuse things, you know."

"Sure, but do you want to spend all day at school trying to catch me sneaking your money back into your purse or your locker? Because you can _refuse_ things, but I don't picture you as the kind of girl who can throw them away."

If it had been Sayori she probably could have argued longer ( _or at all_ ). If it had been Yuri they'd both already be on the verge of yelling at each other. Minato... Well, she'd convince him his money could be better spent on something they both enjoyed, like manga. But somehow Natsuki couldn't bring herself to stop the Club President. Plus her last point was _distressingly_ accurate.

"...Alright. I don't _get it_ , but I won't argue. Your money to waste."

Those emerald eyes went hard and steely again, and Monika leaned forward to poke at Natsuki's cheek. It was weirdly intimidating, despite being so outwardly cutesy.

"Spending money on you isn't a waste, no matter what anybody _else_ might have told you. I owe you... more than you can imagine. We've already talked about how much I mistreated you in the past, after all."

The conversation slowed down after that, for two reasons. On the one hand Natsuki had to form a _response_ to something like that. The other hand was shoveling the wonderful food into her face as quickly as possible. Eating around Papa and her 'friends' from earlier school years made it reflex to eat quickly and roughly before anyone else could get their hands on it, or yell at her for eating 'so much'. But Monika didn't seem to care: If anything her smile was _encouraging_ , when it was visible between delicate bites of cheese-and-pepper pizza.

"I don't get that either. Sure you've said and done... some things. But you _realized_ it, and told me you're going to stop. Even if you _don't_ actually stop? That effort **still** puts you in, like, the top five people I've ever known: How does that work out to you 'owing' me anything?"

Monika stared at her as if she had just said something incredible amusing, or pleasing: Her eyes glittered and her smile was pulled up wide at the corners. When she _did_ say something it was very soft and slow, as if she was trying not to disturb her own smile.

"Did you just say I'm one of your favorite people?"

Another rocket-hot blush crept up the back of Natsuki's neck and onto her cheeks while she tried to bite back the reflexive tsun stammer. Tried and failed, unfortunately.

"D-don't take that the wrong way! I just... I mean... Yeah, a bit."

Despite a lot of their height difference being in the legs, she still felt like Monika was looking down on her from above as she casually swirled her straw through the dregs of her milkshake. Natsuki didn't ( _or couldn't_ ) look away from those eyes until eventually Monika leaned back and took a long final sip before throwing the cup, blind, towards the nearest trash can. It landed dead-center.

"I think I can work with 'top five'."

Any reply she could muster would have either been a mess of tsundere gibberish, loud shrieking, or maybe some kind of stammered apology. Since she was trying to dial back the first bit, hated girls who did the second thing, and had _nothing to apologize for_ , Natsuki just started eating the last few bites of her meal.

"Oh! I didn't get you dessert because I figured that was more your domain: Want to check some places out before we go do the actual shopping bit?"

A lot of Natsuki's early childhood memories were fuzzy at _best_. Hell, most of the last 18 years were pretty incoherent, whether because she went through them in a daze or because the brain cells had been rattled around a few too many times. But there was _one_ thing she associated with going to the mall, with better times. She'd never had the nerve to try making it herself, especially since Papa would... Well, better not to think about that.

"...One of those big pretzels. Sweet almond. And the little thing of caramel sauce on the side."

"Lemonade with that, or are you good for drinks?"

"Yeah, please... I'll hit the washroom while you're getting that."

Monika nodded and went to leave, carrying their basically-empty trays towards the trash... She stopped when Natsuki tugged on her sleeve. Neither of them said anything for a moment, in part because Natsuki _herself_ hadn't realized she'd done it at first. When her brain caught up to her hands though, she just looked at the older girl and put on her best grin. For a change it was a _genuine_ smile that felt natural on her face.

"Thank you."

~ ~ ~ ~ 

Most of the time Natsuki tried to downplay anything that made her seem excessively cute, but right now she really couldn't help herself. She was so _unused_ to rich food like this that it came naturally. So while she walked beside Monika further down the mall halls, she took tiny little bites and licks of her comically-oversized pretzel. Beside her, Monika was nursing the last of her drink from lunch, having skipped dessert entirely. They were walking in silence, thankfully not running into any other shoppers on the way. Natsuki wouldn't have noticed even if they _had_ , given how absorbed she was in eating. The only thing that threw her off was Monika's voice from beside her.

"Ah! You've got some sauce."

The older girl leaned over and dabbed some trailing caramel off of her cheek with a napkin, leaving Natsuki blushing. There _had_ to be some way she could respond to this that wasn't cute, wasn't tsundere, and didn't make her look ungrateful... _Oh_! There it was: Snark.

"I can take care of myself, _Mommy-ka_."

That shut her up for a good ten or twenty feet, and Natsuki dug back into her food... But when she turned to say something else it turned out Monika had stopped dead where they had that exchange. She was just staring dead ahead with red cheeks, looking into nothingness.

"...Shit, didn't mean to bother you that much. Everything OK?"

Monika waved off her question with a gesture that _totally_ wasn't an excuse to fan herself.

" _No_! I mean yes! It didn't bother me. Bothering is not what happened. Ahaha. Everything is fine!"

Natsuki shrugged it off and kept walking, eventually reaching their destination about two trash cans past when she finished her pretzel. The lingerie shop had music piping in loud enough that she could hear it clearly from outside... Monika apparently did too, and didn't like it: She shot the nearest speaker a dirty look before stepping up to the window displays.

"Not a fan of... whatever that is?"

Her friend stiffened a bit and looked around evasively.

"It's The Cure, and... I like it well enough. Not a fan, not disinterested. More Yuri's thing than mine if I had to guess. Just weird to hear a song that old in a store like this."

She shouldn't really be looking a gift horse in the mouth, but things had been just a bit _off_ ever since they left the house.

"You recognized it pretty fast for not being into the band."

"Oh come on, it's a **classic**! Like, every band has covered it. You've probably heard it before, actually: _Whenever I'm alone with you, you make me feel like I am home again... Whenever I'm alone with you, you make me feel like I am whole again..._ "

Natsuki knew that their club President played piano ( _or was learning_ ) and had a general passion for lyrical music, since it was something she considered literature ( _unlike manga : <_). Knowing that and _experiencing_ it were two totally different things. Until now she had never heard Monika sing, much less sing _that_ kind of song, and her voice... Well now Natsuki was the one frozen stock still, blushing and shivering. She could easily imagine a piano in front of Monika right now, her long and elegant fingers striking down on the keys. Sliding...

"OK, OK, I get it! That's enough payback for the whole 'Mommy' thing."

Monika popped her hip to the side like usual... but without the skirt it lacked impact.

"Awww: Who said it was payback or that payback was even _needed_? Maybe I liked it."

"...You've been acting weird today. More than usual."

"Oh you're not wrong. But I like to think I have my reasons."

"Like that! I mean, that last bit is normal _for you_ but weird in general. You're just reacting to everything so calmly, and doing things that... I just don't get it."

She put one finger up to her cheek and, in that moment, Natsuki could clearly see that Monika was still very much the girl she was in the Club. It's just that now she was seeing... more of her.

"Mmh. I guess I'm just a sanguine person... AB type? Whatever. What I mean to say is that I can be overly critical and I overlook issues sometimes, but I roll with the punches _exceptionally well_. It takes a lot more than an off-color joke to rattle me."

"I guess. Still weirds me out sometimes... Speaking of which, shouldn't we head inside already?"

Monika just nodded to that and slipped between the two glass window-walls of the store. As she stepped between the graceful ( _busty_ ) mannequins, Natsuki couldn't help but notice that she briefly looked like one of the still figures, in her own striking way. If she had been more prepared it would have been a perfect moment to snap a picture with her phone... But then the moment was gone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I delayed posting this chapter a bit to see if I could find a different place to cut it... In the end though, it was either cut here and have this chapter be short, or the next good spot was WAY way off. Like 'more than three times this length' away. So this one is short, but in consolation there's a lot written for what comes next.


End file.
